Crimson Bonds
by Kyora Hitake
Summary: Turmoil. Yuuki deeply regrets the unknowingly horrible things she said to Zero, and in her confusion will turn to the only thing that can possibly help her save him. A vampire. While none too happy about Yuuki's intentions, Kaname cannot refuse her.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight, nor any of its events or characters.

* * *

"Regarding the smell of blood from before... we ended up being told nothing, didn't we?"

Kain Akatsuki would yawn, raising a hand to cover his mouth and keep the damp towel across his shoulders from falling to the ground. "I don't really have an interest."

Thin, unsatisfying red fluid pooled atop the table's smooth surface. Aidōu Hanabusa shifted his position boredly, seeming intent on his mock nourishment as the rest began to drain from the tipped glass. He allowed the liquid flow a moment longer, observing its thin trickle with sudden disinterest. The pale fist supporting his tilted head would clench inconsiderably, and his normally illusory blue eyes would flicker with an unmistakable curiosity and more than a little suspicion. The glass' contents would freeze mid-stream, and a slender tongue would slide across a sharp point of the icy crystal.

"That was the smell of Yuuki-chan's blood."

* * *

"For how long are you planning on leaving him in the Day Class?" Yuuki turned towards her guardian's door, inquisitive as she recognized the voice. _Kaname-senpai?_ Dull light streamed into the corridor from the Chairman's office, lighting her path through the dark hallway. She could not continue forward, however. Something about Kaname's words brought her to a standstill. Zero's abrupt actions barely an hour before had left her numb and confused. He had caught her completely by surprise, and in the event's aftermath all she could feel was astonishment... and anxiety. For four years he had been fighting against his vampiric instinct, fighting against the transformation that would reduce him to a Level E. For four years he had been fighting to maintain his sanity, fighting to not give up, to live on as the human- as the _person_ he was. For four years he had been fighting alone.

Of course she had noticed, as would anyone of even minimal intelligence, that Zero was different from the other students at Cross Academy. He was withdrawn in public, only very occasionally choosing to make a comment outside his duties as prefect. He never smiled, never questioned, never complimented, never even approached anyone that had not broken the school's rules. But Yuuki had experienced his unsociable and solitary persona more fully than anyone at the Academy. They had lived under the same roof, had taken from the same table and had, she thought, shared similar history. As had been explained to her earlier, however, the vampire that had attacked Zero was a pureblood, and had gone much farther than a soul-tainting scare in the night and a disappearance at the hands of her saviour. Kuran Kaname, another vampire, had saved her then. _Kaname..._

"But admission from the Day Class to the Night Class... There is no precedent for such a thing." The Chairman's voice retrieved her from abstraction, and with terrible clarity she realized the full importance of their words. They were speaking of Zero.

"There is no need for a precedent, is there? There is no choice but to transfer him to the Night Class." _Kaname-senpai... What are you doing?_

Yuuki hurried away from the door, running from his words, running from the very thought of Zero leaving her side. They had always been together. She couldn't imagine a life without him. Even though... _Even though to put Zero, who has now turned into a vampire, into the Night Class is the most natural thing._ She understood Kaname's judgement as she considered from his point of view. Perhaps Zero would be better off in the Night Class. Better off without _her_. Nevertheless, his hatred for vampires was so strong he could kill. What would happen if he were in the same division as all the vampires from the Night Class?

Yuuki's neck throbbed painfully, reminding her of Zero's outbreak; his loss of control. It wasn't safe for him to be around humans. He knew it. She knew it. It wasn't safe for him to be around her. With this thought came her second revelation. _Zero has always hated himself..! And I..._ As Yuuki recalled her words that night, something inside her chest ached almost as sharply as her pierced neck_. ... said such cruel things._

Moisture welled against the lids of pained brown eyes. Yuuki stared into the sky, demanding of herself how she could possibly be so wicked. How he must have felt as she blithely expressed her feelings, distressing over "scary" vampires, the Level E's that "weren't even vampires.. but mere beasts that take on human form". How selfish she was, asking to know more about him even as he told her to leave... And how self-important, saying that they were the same, and then feeling hurt as he denied it. Yuuki could hardly fathom his suffering, his fears. Years ago she had been frightened by a vampire. What was that when compared to Zero? who had spent every minute since then exerting his will to remain human, always fearing that he might at any time lose control.

For many long minutes she stood outside the boys' dorm, thinking of Zero. Everything they had done together held new meaning. She couldn't possibly take it in all at once. The stray tears had dried against her cheeks long before she turned and left, thinking it better to endure the pain of regret alone in her room. Even so, hers were not the only anguished eyes. From behind a proximate tree, a pair to match her own radiated a very different hurt. Kuran Kaname watched without a word as Yuuki retreated to her room.

* * *

The next day was a hard one. Even before class had begun Yuuki felt the eyes of her classmates upon her. She moved to sit in the spot that was customary and noticed that Sayori Wakaba, her close friend and room-mate, was taking an unusually keen interest in her. She patted down her hair self-consciously and adjusted her clothing, then sat in the long, pew-like desk beside her. Both girls turned to the front of the class as the teacher began into the daily lesson.

Yuuki had never really been the type to sit quietly and listen to someone ramble on about a subject she simply couldn't understand without hands-on experience. One couldn't possibly watch letters numbers and symbols being drawn and "manipulated"... and then suddenly jump to _understanding_ their concepts. Math was the worst... Very soon her lids seemed to grow heavy, and her head slowly started sliding from its perch atop her hands. Earlier than usual, she was fast asleep.

* * *

A gentle nudge had put an end to her dormancy. Wakaba had observed Yuuki's appreciative smile with worry clear in her eyes, and had confronted her about the square bandage adorning the side of her neck. _So _that_ was what they were looking at._ Wakaba was a very perceptive person, and Yuuki hated to lie... She wondered if her room-mate had believed her.

"Wait." Returning to the present, Yuuki reached for Kaname's hand as he turned away. They were alone before the Moon Dorm's entrance. The foyer was dark thanks to Hanabusa's earlier fit of frustration, and she felt as if even the shadows might jump and attack her. "Please wait."

The vampire looked at her over his whitely-clad shoulder, his eyes so slightly aglow that Yuuki didn't notice. She looked at him in pleading turmoil, wanting to be heard, but at the same time not entirely sure what she wanted to say. She released his hand, pinkness staining her cheeks as she mistook Kaname's expression as one of annoyance. Her brown eyes would widen, her blush darkening as he recovered her hand. He cradled it so gently, so kindly, and turned to face her with eyes that bespoke an undying affection. As they always had. Yuuki followed without hesitation as, slowly, he drew her towards the stairs. "Come."

Kuran Kaname's deep brown eyes never left Yuuki's as they travelled to the second floor. So intent on the mesmerizing beauty before her, she barely registered the movement. The vampire faced forward as they continued toward his quarters, granting Yuuki the freedom to breathe. For a moment as they moved she observed the steady rise and fall of his shoulders in quiet contentment. She then looked over her shoulder, meeting the piercing glower that bore into her back.

Sōen Ruka's glare was one borne purely of hatred and jealously. During the days she served as prefect by guarding the Night Class from the Day Class- or perhaps it was the other way around- Ruka's distaste was obvious. But never had Yuuki been faced with such loathing.

Unconsciously she tightened her grip on Kaname's hand. He did not turn, did not react, merely ushered her passed the door's archway and stepped through himself before shutting the decorative wooden slab behind them.

* * *

My first chapter of my first FanFic... Man, does it ever feel good to write again! Vampire Knight seemed like a great place to start. If you've watched the anime/read the manga you already know how well-developed and solid these characters are. Not that they won't change throughout the story but I'm sure you know what I mean.

I wonder if I didn't go through the first chapter a little too fast, though? When I re-read for mistakes it didn't take me long at all...

I hope you enjoy!


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